Improvement in bustles



T. s. SPE'RRY.

Bustles.

Patented Jan. 28, 1873.

Inventor.-

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrron TIMOTHY S. SPERRY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUSTLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,379, dated January 28, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,T1MOTHY S. SPERRY', of No. 213 Canal street, in the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bustles for Ladies ear, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to bustles for the extension of ladies skirts; and'the improvementwhich forms the subject-matter of this patent consists in the combination, with a ladys bustle or skirt, of a web-support having a curved extension stay or stays. for the web, a holding stem or stems secured to the web-support, and a coiled-sprin g brace constructed and arranged to exert its recoil force both upon the web-stay and holdin g-stem, directly from the waistband and at the junction of the web therewith also, of a bustle-spring having its web stay or stays, holding arm or arms, and coiled-spring brace of asingle strand of spring-wire; also, in having the web stays or supports formed with a series of eyes for the interlocking and proper holding of the curved web-strands; and, finally, in the arrangement of securing stays for the holding-stem pockets contiguous to the coiled-spring brace to resist the tendency of the recoil of the spring-brace to tear the holding-arms from their pockets the object of the improvements being to produce a bustleweb which will not be liable to become crimped and jammed under compression, but will readily'resume its symmetrical shape when released from pressure, and be a light and durable article for the adjustment of the skirts.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a top view of a bustle embracing my invention. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 represents a rear view, showing the holding-stem pockets and coilspring braces. Fig. 4 represents a singlestrand web-stay, spring-brace, and holdingstem; and Fig. 5, a single strand of double form.

The bustle consists of an extension-web of hoop-skirt wire, the strands A whereof are arranged in proper symmetrical and arched form, with their ends secured in metal pockets which are eyeleted to the ends of the websupport B, to make their connection therewith permanent. The waistband O and its websupport B are made to fit upon the body and sustain the spring extension stays. These consist of three parts, made of a single strand of spring-wire-viz., the stay D proper for the web, a coiled-spring brace, E, and a holdingstem, F, forming a figure resembling the segment of a circle with aradiusthe junction of which parts, when applied to the bustle, is at or near the waistband. The stay or stays D are arranged radially from the waistband and sustain the web-strands A, to the arched form of which they conform, and are secured thereto by passing through eyes a, made by a sin gle coil of the stays D, as shown in the drawing. WVeb -tapes G may be used to cover the stays D and hold them from sliding on the strands A by clamping devices b used in hoopskirts. The holding-stem or radius F of the stay D has two branches, which are fitted in pockets H made in the web-support B; while the spring-brace E is formed by several coils of the wire at the junction of the stay and stem, and is located at or near the waistband, so as to allow the web-stays D to yield or be depressed by a sort of coiling action of the spring-brace. By this arrangement the stays D may bend and yield under pressure, but the spring-coil E acts as a hingeor flexible joint for the web at its junction with the waistband C, to allow the web to be depressed and thereby relieve the stays from being crimped or jammed, and maintain the proper extension of the web when the wearer is not sitting, the spring force being exerted entirely and directly from the waistband, or at a point near thereto. The upper or free end a of the holding-stem is bent horizontally into the coil of the springbrace E,-to prevent injury to the wearer. The holding-stems F are prevented from tearing out of their pockets H by the recoil action of the spring-braces, by means of a clamp, I, arranged over the mouth of each pocket H, just beneath each coil-sprin g brace, and eyeleted to the bustle-support B, as shown in Fig. 3.

The web-stay, coil-spring brace, and holding-stem may be made from a single strand of spring-wire, either single or double, as may be desired; I prefer, however, the single form, as it answers the purpose well. The eyes a formed by the stays D serve also to strengthen them, and thus a less number may be used, three such stays being sufficient frr the extension web.

If desired, cords J may be interlaced with the lower edge of the web-support B and the outer web-hoop A, to prevent the skirts from being caught beneath the web.

Having described my invention, I clain1 1. In a ladys bustle or shirt, the combination therewith of awebsupport having an extension stay, D, a holding-stein, F, and a coilspring brace, E, essentially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A bustle-spring having its web-stay or stays D, holding-stem or stems F, and coiledspring brace or braces E of a single strand of springwire, as described.

3. The Web stays or supports having a series of eyes, a, formed as described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a bustle-spring, constructed as described, the coil-spring brace E, located and arranged as described, to serve as a spring;- 

